Class on 12/9/13

Warm up

Students were asked to respond to the following question and write 3 sentences. "When do you feel most uncomfortable using your English?"

Students were asked to then share with a partner and then the whole class. Some responses included:

• Hospital
• With a boss or manager
• Finding an item in a store
• when there is a a likely comparison to another bilingual Spanish speaker
• School meetings
• When you are completely lost but have to respond
• When you know the question and the answer but just can't make yourself understood

The whole class reviewed the rules for writing a paragraph and the instructor wrote them on the board:

• Indent
• Write 6 sentences (use punctuation and capitals)
• Stay focused/on topic/on theme
• Definite ending with some sense of closure
• Clear Introduction (repeat key words from the original theme or question)
• Use specific details (this makes your writing interesting)

Paragraph Writing: Later they were asked to turn their 3 sentences into a paragraph. Some volunteers read their completed paragraphs out loud. The instructor tried to demonstrate where each paragraph met the bullet points above (or fell short).

Current News Story research. The instructor reviewed the rules for "presenting" a news story. Students gave a 1.5 minute presentation infront of the whole class.

Homework: Practice your presentation with someone and be ready to give an improved presentation on Wednesday.